Al-Lajāʾ

Al-Lajāʾ, (Arabic: “Refuge”)also spelled Al-Leja, volcanic region in southern Syria known for its unique and rugged topography and for its numerous archaeological ruins.

Al-Lajāʾ, some 30 miles (50 km) southeast of Damascus, is somewhat triangular in shape, with its apex near Burāq and its base drawn roughly between Izraʿ and Shahbā, to the southwest and southeast, respectively. Al-Lajāʾ is seated, on average, between 2,000 and 2,300 feet (600 and 700 metres) above sea level and is generally higher than the surrounding terrain, such that in some places, its edges shear off sharply, like cliff faces. With its striking black basalt formations, Al-Lajāʾ has been described as resembling a petrified seascape. In some places volcanic peaks reach heights of 2,000–3,000 feet (600–900 metres); the highest of them, including one near Shahbā, surpass 3,300 feet (1,000 metres).

In spite of (and because of) the generally unforgiving nature of the landscape, the region has been inhabited intermittently for centuries—particularly along the perimeter and throughout choice locations in the interior where pockets bearing fertile volcanic soil enable agriculture. The attraction of Al-Lajāʾ also long lay in its service as a defensive stronghold: locals historically used it as a base in their opposition to conscription, taxation, or other efforts meant to subdue them. The caves, fissures, and rugged, confusing terrain of Al-Lajāʾ—which made it almost unnavigable by outsiders, as well as ideal for guerrilla warfare—often helped to neutralize the advantage of larger, better-equipped forces.

Al-Lajāʾ was known in antiquity as Trachonitis and gained its present name in the Middle Ages. The region was notorious for nomadic inhabitants who subsisted on brigandage, attacking travelers on local routes of trade and pilgrimage. Under Herod, whom the Romans placed in control of the region in 24 bce, a road limned by watchtowers was constructed across the region and linked with the regional road network, inhabitants were sedentarized, and agriculture thrived. Numerous towns were established in Al-Lajāʾ between the 1st century bce and the 4th century ce, including Shahbā (Philippopolis) and Shaʿārah. The remains of fortified farms and residences that date to Roman times survive widely throughout the region. In the 4th–7th century ce the region was under Byzantine rule, and settlement expanded to a scope comparable to that of modern times. Remains of Byzantine houses and monasteries have likewise been discovered.

Although settlement in Al-Lajāʾ declined after the Middle Ages, it was later revived. In the early 19th century seminomadic Bedouin, chiefly the Sulūṭ, inhabited Al-Lajāʾ and sustained themselves through raids and robberies to the extent that conditions resembled those of pre-Roman times. From the 19th century, Druze populations migrated from Lebanon into the south and western parts of the region. Both the Druze and the Bedouins utilized the region as a base of opposition for resisting those who would subdue them—including the forces of Ibrahim Pasha, some 14,000 of whom were defeated there in 1838. In the early 21st century Al-Lajāʾ was the site of a national reserve, and Syria has worked to promote the region as a destination for cultural tourism.